This article Navigating Imprisonment: A guide for families and friends is written by Philippa Holm, Defence Lawyer, Emma Turnbull Lawyers, Specialist Criminal Lawyers.
Philippa believes in understanding her clients, tailoring legal strategies to work towards just outcomes. Philippa is also a strong advocate for rehabilitation and restorative justice, recognising that clients come from all backgrounds and that the criminal justice system can fail to address root causes of some behaviours.
It is always a traumatic and difficult period for the family of persons sentenced to prison or remanded in custody pending the resolution of charges in court. This information is intended to provide you with some immediate go-to information to help you through this process.
Phone calls
Unfortunately, you cannot pick up the phone and call your loved one in custody, they must call you. Prison phone calls are limited to 12 minutes’ duration. The calls are recorded, and you will hear a pre-recording at the commencement of each call, reminding you that the call is monitored. For this reason it is not helpful to discuss the allegations or charges over the phone.
For your loved one to be able to call you, they must first add you to their phone list. A phone list is limited to ten contacts and their numbers.
The person in custody must add you to their list (you cannot contact the prison and ask that they add you). There is a form they must complete, the information that is required is as follows –
- your full name
- address
- date of birth
- contact number
An officer from the prison will first contact you, this is to ensure you are willing to receive phone calls from the person in custody. If you would like to confirm that you are on the visit list for a person, you can contact Corrections Victoria on 1300 191 835.
Calls to mobile phones are very expensive. If you can, you should avoid having a mobile number on the list as it will quickly deplete the limited phone account they are allowed to have.
Prison Visits
To visit a person in custody, you must be on their visit list. Like the phone list, this is something that the person in custody must arrange. When you attend, you will be required to provide 100 points of identification as listed here: https://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/prisons/contacting-a-prisoner/identification. Drivers Licences, passports and working with child check cards (with photo) count as 100 points.
The person in custody will book the time and date of your visit. You should arrive early as the screening process can be cumbersome. Presently all visitors are required to undertake a Rapid Antigen Test for COVID-19, along with answering a series of COVID related questions, this is additional to the standard identification and security screening.
Finding which prison a person is being held
You will need to know the location of the prisoner you want to email or send mail to. You can find their location by writing to them at:
First name and surname
c/- Corrections Victoria
GPO Box 123
Melbourne VICTORIA 3001
AUSTRALIA
Emailing a person in custody
Once you know the location that a person is being detained, you can register to be able to send them emails via the website: www.emailaprisoner.com.au. Once on the website, select the “sign up” button and follow the prompts.
Posting letters
You can post a letter to your loved one:
Full name
c/- Corrections Victoria
GPO Box 123
Melbourne VICTORIA 3001
AUSTRALIA
All personal correspondence is checked for contraband before it is forwarded to someone in custody. Further, prisons do not permit musical cards or extras like stickers and photographs (unless pre-approved).
Prisoner Money
You must be on the person’s visit list to be able to send money. This can be achieved in several ways:
- purchase a money order at Australia Post
- send a bank cheque
- make an online transfer via the Secure Payment Services Website: https://www.secure-payment-services.com.au/
When sending a money order or a bank cheque to the prison, you must:
- write the recipient’s full name and CRN (if known) on the front of the envelope
- write your own full name and address on the back of the envelope.
To send money via the Secure Payment Services Website you will first need to register. To do this you will need the following:
- You must use a full residential postal addresses for registration (P.O. Boxes not accepted)
- Most prisons require you to be on the Visitors List before you send funds
People in custody can receive up to $150 per calendar month. An additional $70 per month may be deposited directly to the prisoner’s phone account. Anything over $150 will be automatically put towards the prisoner’s phone account. Where a person has a unique situation (eg: all family located internationally, special permissions may be given to alter these amounts).
Property
Corrections Victoria provide basic clothing and toiletries to all people taken into custody and you can provide other items in line with the approved list to assist your loved one feel more comfortable. Each prison has a list of property that is approved and you should check the list to ensure the items will be received. Some items are not permitted or are controlled in prisons.
You can check what is allowed by selecting the prison your loved one is at from the website https://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/prisons and then selecting the relevant prison location. That will open a page which details the visiting times, dress standards for visitors and approved property items. You should contact the prison to confirm the opening hours of the property office to ensure you can register and leave the items for your loved one when you attend.
You can also check the following link for a list of prohibited items.
https://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/prisons/contacting-a-prisoner/prohibited-items
Other sources of information
You can contact a prison directly on the numbers provided below, or alternatively obtain more location specific information on the Corrections Victoria website: https://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/prisons
| Title | Main Phone | Description |
| Dame Phyllis Frost Centre | 03 9217 8400 | The Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) provides maximum security, medium security and specialist accommodation for remanded and sentenced women prisoners. |
| Judy Lazarus Transition Centre | 03 9320 7888 | The Centre provides a supervised pathway back into society for selected prisoners nearing the end of their sentence. It is named after Judy Lazarus, a prominent advocate of prisoner resettlement and former CEO of the Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders. |
| Marngoneet Correctional Centre | 03 5282 0600 | The Marngoneet Correctional Centre is a 300 bed, medium security facility, providing intensive treatment and offender management programs for males who are at moderate to high risk of reoffending, and have a minimum of six months of their sentence left to serve. |
| Melbourne Assessment Prison | 03 9321 4111 | Melbourne Assessment Prison is a maximum security facility providing the primary statewide assessment and orientation services for male prisoners received into the prison system. |
| Metropolitan Remand Centre | 03 9217 7777 | Metropolitan Remand Centre is Victoria’s major remand facility. The centre is designed on campus-style lines. Accommodation is a mix of single and double cells in variable-sized units. |
| Port Phillip Prison | 03 9217 7200 | Port Phillip Prison provides remand, sentenced, mainstream, protection and specialist accommodation for high, maximum and medium security prisoners. |
| Ravenhall Correctional Centre | 03 8363 6500 | Victoria’s 15th and most technically advanced prison, Ravenhall Correctional Centre was officially opened on 12 October 2017, and began receiving prisoners on Monday 13 November 2017. |
| Barwon Prison | 03 5220 8222 | Barwon Prison provides accommodation and services for mainstream, maximum security prisoners. The prison includes the high security Acacia Unit, the protection units Banksia and Hoya, and mainstream units, Cassia, Diosma and Eucalypt. |
| Beechworth Correctional Centre | 03 5728 0055 | Beechworth Correctional Centre focuses on reparation and pre-release activities – helping prisoners reintegrate into the community when they are released. The prison design complements its rural setting and its environment reflects life in the general community as much as possible, offering prisoners similar structures, choices and responsibilities to those they will encounter in the outside world. |
| Dhurringile Prison | 03 5824 8800 | Dhurringile Prison is a pre-release prison where prisoners undertake both on-site employment and meaningful community reparation via community assistance programs. |
| Fulham Correctional Centre | 03 5142 3800 | Fulham Correctional Centre accommodates predominantly mainstream prisoners and includes a drug and alcohol treatment unit and a protection unit. |
| Hopkins Correctional Centre | 03 4309 3333 | Hopkins Correctional Centre is located 200 km west of Melbourne. It provides accommodation for prisoners with low to medium security protection requirements, including a high proportion of sex offenders (50 per cent) and protection or special needs prisoners (50 per cent). |
| Langi Kal Kal Prison | 03 5349 4900 | Langi Kal Kal Prison houses minimum security prisoners with low-to-medium protection requirements. It is a large working farm and is a minimum security pathway for protection prisoners from Ararat Prison. |
| Loddon Prison Precinct (Middleton) | 03 5471 1211 | Loddon Prison is a campus-style prison within a secure perimeter. The landscaped grounds, modern buildings and wide range of programs and activities provide an environment, which as closely as possible resembles those available in the general community. |
| Tarrengower Prison | 03 5479 8200 | Tarrengower Prison is a minimum security women’s prison with an emphasis on release preparation and community integration. |
About the Directors:
Emma Turnbull is a passionate advocate for justice, equality, and empowerment. With her deep commitment to making a positive impact, she has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of individuals facing prosecution by the State and promoting social change.
“I firmly believe that each and every one of us has the power to create meaningful change. It starts by finding our voices, standing up for what is right, and ensuring that everyone, whether they have a five day or three month jury trial, receives a fair hearing. My goal is that win or lose, every client feels they have received a fair trial, with their voice heard and their best defence put forward.”
Adrian Lewin is a seasoned criminal lawyer renowned for his unwavering dedication to defending the rights of individuals facing legal challenges. With his extensive experience and expertise in criminal law, Adrian has successfully represented clients in a wide range of complex cases. Known for his strategic thinking and meticulous preparation, he tirelessly fights for justice, ensuring that every client receives the strongest possible defence.
Corrections & Prisons
You can contact a prison directly on the numbers provided below, or alternatively obtain more location specific information on the Corrections Victoria website: https://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/prisons
| Prison | Phone | Description |
| Dame Phyllis Frost Centre | 03 9217 8400 | The Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) provides maximum security, medium security and specialist accommodation for remanded and sentenced women prisoners. |
| Judy Lazarus Transition Centre | 03 9320 7888 | The Centre provides a supervised pathway back into society for selected prisoners nearing the end of their sentence. It is named after Judy Lazarus, a prominent advocate of prisoner resettlement and former CEO of the Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders. |
| Marngoneet Correctional Centre | 03 5282 0600 | The Marngoneet Correctional Centre is a 300 bed, medium security facility, providing intensive treatment and offender management programs for males who are at moderate to high risk of reoffending, and have a minimum of six months of their sentence left to serve. |
| Melbourne Assessment Prison | 03 9321 4111 | Melbourne Assessment Prison is a maximum security facility providing the primary statewide assessment and orientation services for male prisoners received into the prison system. |
| Metropolitan Remand Centre | 03 9217 7777 | Metropolitan Remand Centre is Victoria’s major remand facility. The centre is designed on campus-style lines. Accommodation is a mix of single and double cells in variable-sized units. |
| Port Phillip Prison | 03 9217 7200 | Port Phillip Prison provides remand, sentenced, mainstream, protection and specialist accommodation for high, maximum and medium security prisoners. |
| Ravenhall Correctional Centre | 03 8363 6500 | Victoria’s 15th and most technically advanced prison, Ravenhall Correctional Centre was officially opened on 12 October 2017, and began receiving prisoners on Monday 13 November 2017. |
| Barwon Prison | 03 5220 8222 | Barwon Prison provides accommodation and services for mainstream, maximum security prisoners. The prison includes the high security Acacia Unit, the protection units Banksia and Hoya, and mainstream units, Cassia, Diosma and Eucalypt. |
| Beechworth Correctional Centre | 03 5728 0055 | Beechworth Correctional Centre focuses on reparation and pre-release activities – helping prisoners reintegrate into the community when they are released. The prison design complements its rural setting and its environment reflects life in the general community as much as possible, offering prisoners similar structures, choices and responsibilities to those they will encounter in the outside world. |
| Dhurringile Prison | 03 5824 8800 | Dhurringile Prison is a pre-release prison where prisoners undertake both on-site employment and meaningful community reparation via community assistance programs. |
| Fulham Correctional Centre | 03 5142 3800 | Fulham Correctional Centre accommodates predominantly mainstream prisoners and includes a drug and alcohol treatment unit and a protection unit. |
| Hopkins Correctional Centre | 03 4309 3333 | Hopkins Correctional Centre is located 200 km west of Melbourne. It provides accommodation for prisoners with low to medium security protection requirements, including a high proportion of sex offenders (50 per cent) and protection or special needs prisoners (50 per cent). |
| Langi Kal Kal Prison | 03 5349 4900 | Langi Kal Kal Prison houses minimum security prisoners with low-to-medium protection requirements. It is a large working farm and is a minimum security pathway for protection prisoners from Ararat Prison. |
| Loddon Prison Precinct (Middleton) | 03 5471 1211 | Loddon Prison is a campus-style prison within a secure perimeter. The landscaped grounds, modern buildings and wide range of programs and activities provide an environment, which as closely as possible resembles those available in the general community. |
| Tarrengower Prison | 03 5479 8200 | Tarrengower Prison is a minimum security women’s prison with an emphasis on release preparation and community integration. |